As is well known in the construction industry, many multi-story buildings are fabricated having composite decks. A composite deck is generally formed by the integrated combination of concrete and structural steel. An integral part of modern composite decks is a structural component known as a Nelson stud. Typically, Nelson studs comprise elongate members which are welded to horizontally disposed structural steel beams in a manner wherein the Nelson studs are generally in linear alignment upon and extend vertically upward from the top, horizontal surface of the structural beams to which they are attached. The Nelson studs are usually welded to the structural beams after a layer of corrugated sheet metal decking has been placed across the top surfaces of the beams. In this respect, the lower end of each Nelson stud is abutted against the upper surface of the metal decking in a position approximately above the longitudinal axis of the beam. Since the metal decking has a relatively thin cross-section, the welding procedure is operable to form an integral connection between the Nelson stud, metal decking and top surface of the beam. Concrete is then poured upon the upper surface of the corrugated sheet metal decking in a manner such that the concrete completely surrounds the exposed portions of each of the Nelson studs. The interconnection of the structural steel beams, the corrugated sheet metal decking, the Nelson studs and the concrete pour serve to form the composite deck.
In composite deck construction, a certain concrete thickness is specified for the concrete poured upon the metal decking. As can be appreciated, the concrete thickness throughout the entire surface area of the composite deck must be uniform, thereby necessitating that the pour be leveled in a manner achieving such uniform thickness. The leveling device used to level concrete pours is referred to as a screed. In composite deck construction, the screed extends between and is attached to a pair of screed rails. The screed rails are connected to adjacent, parallel support beams in a manner wherein each screed rail is generally parallel to the support beam to which it is attached. Each screed rail is connected to its respective support beam by at least two screed post assemblies, the screed rail extending between the screed post assemblies. The screed is then drawn along the length of the screed rails to level the surface of the pour.
Screed post assemblies as currently known, generally comprise a screed pad having a screed post extending upwardly therefrom. Such screed post assemblies, however, are not well suited for use in conjunction with the construction of composite decks. In this respect, prior art screed post assemblies require that the screed pad be attached to the corrugated sheet metal decking by means of screws and/or adhesives. Once the screed pad is anchored to the metal decking, the screed post is threadably connected to the screed pad and the screed rail is pinch bolted to the screed post. The screed post height must then be established typically by optical leveling procedures and subsequently the screed post is then interfaced to the screed rail and subsequently drawn over the surface of the concrete pour.
As can be appreciated, the use of the aforementioned screed support system, though serving to level the concrete pour, requires a great deal of labor and time to implement. Additionally, use of the aforementioned screed support system also requires that special procedures be implemented to insure that the screed is disposed in a level orientation in relation to the support beams. Such procedures include the use of an optical measuring device which is both costly, time consuming and difficult. Thus, there exists a need in the art for an improved screed support system which may be easily installed and used during the construction of composite decks.
As is also well known in the construction industry, many buildings are fabricated having concrete or masonry walls. Due to the utilization of these materials it is generally necessary to construct such walls with internal support members to provide structural rigidity thereto. Such structural support is typically achieved by building the concrete or masonry walls over elongate rebar members which typically are linearly aligned within and extend vertically upwardly from a support structure such as the wall foundation. The rebar members are usually fabricated from cylindrical steel stock having a diameter of one inch or less. In normal construction practice, the rebar members are inserted into the foundation pour in the aforementioned orientation. As will be recognized, until the building walls are fabricated around the rebar members, substantial portions of the members including the top ends thereof remain exposed. As can be appreciated, the exposed top ends of the rebar members create a significant hazard to construction workers working on the building in areas above the rebar members. In this respect, it is not uncommon for accidents to occur wherein a construction worker falls upon one or more of the exposed rebar members and is impaled thereon.
In recognition of this hazard, various prior art devices have been developed to serve as impalement guards for rebar members during building construction. Though these devices are generally suitable for covering the exposed top ends of the rebar members, the devices possess certain inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall utility. Foremost of these deficiencies is the amount of time needed to interface the devices to the exposed top ends of the rebar members. The present invention, also overcomes the deficiencies associated with currently known rebar fall protectors.